IUCN Status: Near Threatened
EPBC Threat Rating: Very high/Extreme
IUCN Claim: “The introduction of the predatory Red Fox and feral cats has had a profound impact and continues to be a major threat today (Friend 2008).’”
A poison-baiting campaign initiated in 1982 was followed by a population increase (Friend 1990) until 1992 (Friend & Thomas 1994), after which the population crashed (Friend & Page 2017).
Foxes were not the main cause of mortality nor the main predator of reintroduced numbats (Friend & Thomas 1994). Numbats were last confirmed in NSW 3 years before foxes arrived (Wallach et al. 202X).
There are no studies evidencing a negative association between
numbats and foxes. Poison-baiting is not a reliable proxy for fox
abundance. In contradiction with the claim, the extirpation record
pre-dates the fox arrival record.
Fairfax, Dispersal of the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) across Australia. Biol. Invasions 21, 1259-1268 (2019).
Friend JA, Page MJ. 2017. Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) Recovery Plan. Wildlife Management Program No. 60 in Department of Parks and Wildlife P, WA., editor.
Friend, J. A. “The numbat Myrmecobius fasciatus (Myrmecobiidae): history of decline and potential for recovery.” Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia. Vol. 16. 1990.
Friend, J. A., and N. D. Thomas. “Reintroduction and the numbat recovery programme.” Reintroduction Biology of Australian and New Zealand Fauna’.(Ed. M. Serena.) pp (1994): 189-198.
Wallach et al. 2023 In Submission